The present invention relates to a continuous casting apparatus, particularly for a continuous steel casting, which is arranged to compensate for shrinkage of the casting in a cross-sectional plane normal to the casting direction. The caster comprises a pair of facing endless casting belts serving as mold walls which are moved in the casting direction and define the upper and lower extent of the casting cross section and facing endless articulated mold walls of dam blocks which define the sides of the casting cross section, the mutual spacing between articulated mold walls as well as between the casting belts being larger in the initial (upstream) region of the casting cross section than in the end (downstream) region.
Casters of the above-mentioned type permit the casting of lead, zinc and copper at higher speeds. Prior art techniques are known for accurately compensating for shrinkage occurring in the width of the casting between the moving articulated mold walls as a result of the cast metal cooling off and hardening. Such techniques include placing guide rails associated with the moving dam blocks at a suitable angle. However, with respect to the casting height between the casting belts only an approximate shrinkage compensation has been attempted in the past. Such compensation has been produced by deforming the casting belt by means of convex supporting rollers so that at least in the center region of the casting belt there appears a section of contact with the thinning cast strand. This known solution has the drawback that in the transition region with the walls formed by the dam blocks, which walls serve as the lateral boundary of the cast strand, there is formed a more or less large cavity which may possibly be filled with air. Moreover, due to the deformation by means of the convex supporting rollers, the casting belt is considerably stressed, whereby in the region of the rigid dam blocks which have been used, there is produced a sharp edge which increases wear on the casting belts.